1. Technical Field
This invention relates to flagpoles and, more particularly, to an assembly for automatically raising a marine caution flag.
2. Prior Art
With the ever-increasing popularity of water sports the number of water skiers has steadily increased, bringing ever larger numbers of water skiers and ski boats to a relatively fixed number of recreation areas. While water skiers are sufficiently visible while skiing to prevent all but the most careless of boating accidents, the sport presents one extremely dangerous situation, namely that of the downed water skier.
It will be recognized that even the most skilled of water skiers will occasionally fall, and that the norm of skill in the sport as displayed in recreational areas is far less, meaning that each ski boat is likely to have relatively frequent incidences in which the skier being towed from the boat is down. The relatively great speed of motor boats and the relatively poor visibility of a downed water skier in the water makes spotting a downed water skier a difficult task requiring concentration and a high degree of care. In most instances, the only visible indication of the presence of a downed water skier is a bobbing head in the water, and at least in some instances the water skier may be briefly under the water making the water skier extremely difficult to spot. A downed water skier struck by a boat is a potential fatality, due to the speed and force with which a boat is likely to strike the water skier, likely in the head, which is presented to the boat due to its location on the surface of the water.
A common precaution in the sport is the use of an observer seated in the stern of the ski boat, who may quickly signal the driver when the water skier falls and direct the driver to stop and return to the site where the water skier is floating. In fact, in many local jurisdictions, the presence of an observer is required by law. While the presence of an observer will ensure that the ski boat returns promptly to the site of a downed water skier, such an observer in not of great utility in warning other boats in the area that the water skier is down. The observer may attempt to wave off boats approaching the site of the downed water skier, but will in all likelihood not be heard or understood by operators of other boats due to normal noise level. The observer may inadvertently act as a distraction to operators of other boats, and may in fact increase the chance that these operators of other boats will not see the downed water skier.
One early attempt to present a warning to other boats in the area involved attaching a warning device to the water skier, to thereby give the water skier greater visibility when downed. Unfortunately, the only way such a device could be readily visible was if it was attached to the water skier's head. Needless to say, relatively few water skiers care to damage their image by wearing cumbersome paraphernalia on their heads. This strategy has therefore proved undesirable, and has never achieved great usage.
The signaling device that has shown the most promise is the warning flag or pennant, which is raised manually or otherwise when the water skier falls to warn operators of other boats that a downed water skier is in the vicinity. In fact, in areas under its jurisdiction, the United States Coast Guard has required that the ski boat display a warning flag indicating the presence of a water skier in the water following a fall or other incident. As with any rule of its type, adherence to this rule is directly proportional to the convenience of complying. If a flag is aboard and if it is convenient to do so, the observer or operator will display the flag. Otherwise, no warning signal is given to protect the downed water skier.
As might be expected, a better potential solution to the problem was shortly forthcoming in the form of both more convenient and automatic devices to deploy a warning flag from a ski boat when the water skier was down. By way of example, the former is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,796, to Pressler et al., which teaches a device in which a flag and pole is permanently mounted onto a ski boat at a location near the operator's position. The pole is movable between two locking positions, one a down position and the other an upright position. This device is a step in the right direction since it ensures that a flag is conveniently located near the operator; however, if the operator forgets to raise the flag, or deliberately does not raise it, there will be no warning flag displayed.
The other potential solution is even more desirable, in that devices which fall into the category designed to automatically raise a warning flag when the water skier is down in the water will be more likely to ensure that a warning flag is raised to indicate that the water skier is in the down position, in the water. These devices are essentially mechanical in nature, and have a spring means that acts to urge the flag into an upright position. The flag is retained a downward position by the tension of the ski rope, and when a water skier falls and drops the rope, the flag is raised. One shortcoming in this design, however, is that the rope often loses tension in turns or when vessel traffic or obstacles force the driver to slow down. In these situations, the flag could be raised unnecessarily.
Accordingly, a need remains for a device that automatically raises a caution flag when a water skier drops the rope.